Sometimes, in manufacturing, you have to say “no” to new business.

Such was the case for Willin Solutions. Based in Charleston, SC, Willin specializes in assembling wire harnesses for Defense Department customers. As the company’s reputation grew, it began getting numerous requests to assemble wire harnesses for nonmilitary customers. Wanting to maintain focus on its core competence, Willin declined to take on the new business.

So, in 2019, a two engineers from Willin, Rob Brown and Will Nichols, teamed up with Scott Zech, an engineer from a boat manufacturer, to create a new company, Knox Wire Harnesses, to service those customers. Based in Knoxville, TN, Knox Wire Harnesses assembles wire harnesses for boat builders and various other industries.

The business has grown rapidly over the past six years. Today, the company employs some 25 people at two locations in Knoxville. It does all the wire prep work at one facility, which spans 5,000 square feet. Harness assembly and testing is done at the other facility, which covers 4,000 square feet.

Early on, few of Knox’s employees had experience with wire processing technology, and not many had experience with manufacturing management and leadership. Training workers on how to process and assemble wires could be done in-house, at least. But, training workers to be good managers? For that, Knox would need help.

As a small business, Knox turned to the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UT CIS), the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center in Tennessee.

Get Help With the MEP

The MEP is a program administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The program’s mission is to strengthen and empower small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers. With centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the program employs some 1,400 manufacturing advisors and experts at more than 450 service locations.

In 2024, MEP centers assisted more than 20,000 manufacturers, leading to $15 billion in new and retained sales, $2.6 billion in cost savings, $4.5 billion in new client investments, and creating or retaining 108,000 jobs.

MEP centers offer a wide range of services to help manufacturers identify opportunities to accelerate growth and strengthen competitiveness in the global marketplace. MEP centers work with manufacturers to develop new products, expand and diversify markets, improve processes, adopt new technology, conserve resources, and enhance value within supply chains. The program also serves as a bridge to other organizations and federal research labs.

As a public-private partnership, the program is delivering a high return on investment to taxpayers. For every dollar of federal investment, the MEP network generates $17.90 in new sales growth for manufacturers and $27 in new client investment. This translates into $2.3 billion in new sales annually. And, for every $1,501 of federal investment, the network creates or retains one manufacturing job.

Training in Tennessee

Workforce development and helping manufacturers get lean are core competencies for MEP affiliates.

For Knox Wire Harnesses, UT CIS provided training on lean manufacturing, covering basics such as value-stream mapping and 5S.

Knox also enrolled its supervisory staff in the center’s “Effective Leadership Training” program. Licensed from the Denver-based training firm Vital Learning, the program is a concise, yet impactful, series of courses that cover the skills needed for effective team leadership.

Designed for both new and experienced managers, the program emphasizes practical skill-building that is directly applicable to everyday leadership scenarios. The courses teach leaders the essential tools for effective team management. They also teach strategies to enhance team member participation, morale and overall team performance.

The program consists of 12 four-hour training modules. The modules can be taught on site and are also delivered as public workshops throughout Tennessee.

The modules are as follows:
    • Essential Skills of Leadership. Explore the four foundational skills for effective leadership
    • Essential Skills of Communicating. Learn to use an empowering and dynamic communication process to increase team members’ motivation and commitment.
    • Coaching Job Skills. Learn how to identify performance problems, understand which performance problems can be resolved by coaching, and how to solve performance problems.
    • Improving Work Habits. Understand the importance of focusing on negative behaviors as well as earning team members’ recognition and their commitment to changing their habits.
    • Effective Discipline. Learn how to dramatically reduce employees’ problem behaviors.
    • Providing Performance Feedback. Discover a fair and fact-based collaborative model for providing feedback.
    • Resolving Conflicts. Learn how to recognize conflict and handle it quickly and effectively.
    • Managing Complaints. Discover a proven process and individual skills to effectively deal with employee complaints.
    • Supporting Change. Learn valuable tools to manage teams more successfully through change.
    • Developing Performance Goals and Standards. Become equipped with the tools needed to succeed by aligning your team’s goals and standards with expectations set forth by the organization.
    • Communicating Up. Learn how to hold more successful meetings with members of senior management.
    • Delegating. Strengthen your commitment to the success of the organization by understanding how and when to delegate tasks to team members.

The course was taught by Rick Durham, a 40-year industry veteran and one of the center’s leadership experts.

Because most of the Knoxville Wire Harnesses supervisory staff were in leadership roles for the first times in their careers, the training was helpful. It provided the company’s front-line management team with the skills needed to better manage employees. It also provided a common set of practices for supervisors to follow.

Knox’s executive team noted how much better the supervisory team was able to perform in their roles after they had completed the training. What’s more, Knox executives estimate the training has led to $50,000 in increased sales and $20,000 in cost savings after just one year.

“I have been extremely impressed with UT CIS,” says Mark Barath, chief operating officer at Knox Wire Harnesses. “The Value Stream Mapping activity that was previously set up for Knox Wire Harnesses via UT CIS was terrific for our team. It prepared our team to help the company graduate to the next stage. I was also extremely impressed with the leadership class we sent our managers to. I noticed a difference in how they handled situations with employees after taking the course.”

For more information on wire harness manufacturing services, click www.knoxwireharnesses.com

For more information on UT CIS, click https://tmep.cis.tennessee.edu.

For more information on the MEP, visit www.nist.gov/mep.